


Blue

by Greenlady



Series: Echo Valley [5]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-20
Updated: 2010-09-20
Packaged: 2017-10-12 01:36:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/119342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greenlady/pseuds/Greenlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Superman and Lex Luthor go kayaking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Blue

Blue  
****

Lex Luthor checked a vine stem, considered it closely, trimmed it back and moved on to the next vine. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Connor reach out and pick a handful of the deep blue grapes and stuff them in his mouth. Lex crouched down in front of the little boy, and studied his face. It was covered in blue grape juice. Lex frowned. Connor stuck his thumb in his mouth, and looked up at his father through his dark brown eyelashes.

'Connor,' said Lex, with equal parts gentleness and firmness. 'We are Luthors. We don't suck our thumbs.'

'No, Daddy,' said Connor.

'Also, we are wine makers. We don't eat all the grapes.'

'No, Daddy.'

'Good,' said Lex. 'Try to keep that in mind.'

A sudden wind stirred the vine leaves. Superman landed heavily on the rich soil of the Echo Valley Vineyard -- blue, red and gold, shocking against the dark earth and green vines. Superman chuckled. 'Luthors don't suck their thumbs?' His eyes were dancing with lewd suggestions.

'Clark,' said Lex, with mock severity. 'Thumb sucking is thoroughly an un-Luthor-like practice, indulged in by Kryptonians and other alien monsters.'

'I'm part Kryptonian, Daddy,' Connor confessed. 'Am I an alien monster?'

'Yes,' said Lex. 'A blue-skinned alien monster who eats all my grapes.'

Connor laughed wildly, and grabbed another handful of grapes to stuff in his mouth. 'I'm a blue monster!' he crowed. 'I eat grapes.'

'Kids these days. They have no respect for agriculture, or the cost of living. Eating all my profits.'

'Come on, Lex. We're hardly going to starve.' Clark held out his arms, and Connor launched himself into them, from several feet away.

'Your blithe assurance doesn't reassure me,' said Lex. 'Have you noticed how fast he's growing, or how much he eats?'

'I'm a grape eating monster, Daddy,' Connor told Clark, with great solemnity. 'I'm going to eat everything.'

'And that's no joke,' said Lex. 'You should have seen what he had for lunch.'

'Well, he's a growing boy.'

'I'm going to grow right up to the ceiling,' said Connor.

'Heaven help me,' said Lex.

Clark met his eyes over the top of Connor's head. He smiled. Don't worry, his eyes and his smile seemed to say. You're not alone in this. Between us we can handle Superboy.

'I'm here to rescue you from monsters, and befriend them in the process,' said Clark, aloud. 'It's a nice day. Why don't we go kayaking? You've been practicing with your paddle, right Connor?'

'I can paddle right across the bay.'

'So, show me what you can do. You too, Lex. The grapes can manage without you for one day.'

'You think? You're sure they won't grow 30 feet an hour and sprout horns?'

'I'm sure. And if they do, Connor can fight them off.'

'I am surrounded by heroes,' said Lex. 'What can a villain like me do, but surrender?'

**********************

The ocean was deep blue, calm and shiny like a mirror. Lex paddled his own kayak, and in the back seat rode Joy, who had insisted on coming along, leaving her growing puppies behind. Clark thought she was happy to get away for a few hours. He shared his kayak with Connor, who had, at first, wanted to paddle his own craft.

'Not on the deep ocean,' Lex had protested. 'You can paddle across the bay. I'll allow that. But storms can spring up suddenly, and there are other dangers. You're not Superman, you know.'

'Not yet,' said Connor, and he smiled. When he smiled like that, he looked older and wiser. It shook Lex to the depths of his soul, but Connor had always done that.

'When you can fly, I'll let you paddle on your own, I promise.'

Connor agreed, but he insisted on sitting in the front cockpit, and paddling as if his life depended on it. Clark sat back, and smiled, dipping his paddle once in a while to help steer.

The bright blue sky soared overhead, punctuated here and there by flocks of gulls and hunting eagles. When an eagle got too close, the gulls would mass together and scream threateningly. The eagles ignored them, for the most part, and dived into the ocean after fish, preferring quieter prey.

A pod of orca leapt into action just ahead of Lex's kayak, also after the fish. They corralled a school of them, then dived and tore into the mass of fish, devouring almost the entire school in one bite. The seagulls cleaned up their leftovers. The orca pod moved on.

'The world is a dangerous place for small fry,' Lex told Joy. 'And sometimes we are all small fry.'

Joy whined softly. She was looking around, watching for something, seeming to hear something Lex couldn't hear. 'Clark?' Lex called. 'Do you hear anything strange?'

'Strange?' Clark called back. 'What do you mean?'

'Joy is restless. She's cocking her head, listening… Now I hear something, too.' Something deep, thought Lex. Something vast, from the depths of the ocean. Something moving, slowly moving, inexorably moving. Not quick like a flash, like the orca pod.

A mountain rose from the ocean before their eyes. A huge grey-blue head rose above the water, and an enormous eye paused to look about.

 

'It's blue,' Lex breathed. 'Joy, look at that. It's a Blue Whale.' The whale spouted, and dived, stayed down for a short time, only to emerge once more and repeat the process.

'Is that a dangerous whale, Daddy?' asked Connor. He seemed fascinated by the prospect, rather than afraid. Of course, thought Lex. He's my son… and Clark's too. Son of Superman and Lex Luthor. What a gene pool.

'Blue Whales don't eat people, ' said Clark. 'Not even blue-skinned, grape-eating monster people.'

'They're very rare,' said Lex. 'They were almost killed off by people, but now they're on the comeback, since laws were passed protecting them. The last few years they've been showing up in these waters in larger numbers, but this is the first one I've seen. Thanks, Clark. If you hadn't come to drag me away, I'd have missed this.'

'You're welcome,' said Clark. He steered his kayak up close to Lex's, and reached out to clasp his hand. The whale dived again, emerged again to spy about.

'It seems confused,' Lex thought out loud. 'Maybe it's lost? Shouldn't it be with a pod of some sort? Whales don't usually live alone, I thought, but then I'm not an expert.'

'Something you're not an expert on? You surprise me.' Clark leaned in to nuzzle Lex's neck.

'Behave!' said Lex. Clark just grinned at him, quite unrepentant. The whale spouted, dived, spied again. It was getting closer to their kayaks with each dive.

'It does seem to be searching for something,' Clark agreed. 'Probably its family.'

That was a mission Lex could sympathise with. 'We should help it,' he suggested.

'Help? Help a huge creature like that?'

'Well, you are Superman,' said Lex. 'And I'm Lex Luthor. If we can't help….'

'And I'm Superboy,' Connor piped up.

'Not yet, young man! When you can fly, remember? Not a moment before.'

'Yes, Daddy.' Connor didn't look happy, but Lex paid him no mind. Becoming a hero was a long, involved process, and there would always be grief and disappointment along the way.

Clark loosened the skirt around his cockpit and flew out. He whirled about in the air, and appeared dressed as Superman. 'I'll see if I can find a pod of blue whales nearby,' he announced, and flew off.

'See, Connor? When you can do that, I'll let you be Superboy. I'm happy you want to be a hero, but you still have to grow and learn. Everyone does. '

Connor sighed. But then he smiled and agreed. 'I'm going to grow right up to the ceiling and fly to the moon.'

'Good!' said Lex. 'But being a hero doesn't just mean being strong and powerful. Flying is just a symbol… a… a metaphor. Being a hero means being ready to sacrifice yourself for other people.' Lex reached out and pulled Connor's kayak closer, holding it steady against his own. He looked deeply into Connor's eyes. 'Do you know what it means to sacrifice yourself?' he asked.

'No, Daddy.'

'It means to be willing to die for other people. I would die to protect you and Daddy, and Joy. Daddy would die to protect us. Joy would, too. That's a lot of dying, Connor. Being a hero means being able to face death. That's what it means to grow up to the ceiling and to fly.'

Connor looked back into Lex's eyes, calmly. His eyes, as always, seemed to see more than mortal eyes could see. 'I would die for you,' he said.

'Connor.'

'I would, Daddy. I would die for all of you. I would die for Joy.'

Joy, who had appeared to be ignoring this intense discussion, turned her head to stare at Connor. She seemed astonished, and woofed softly. Connor reached across the kayaks toward her, but couldn't quite manage to pet Joy's head. He patted the air before her though -- little baby pats.

Clark flew back to the kayaks, and floated in the air before them. 'I found a pod of blue whales,' he said, several sea miles further west. Past those islands. This whale must have gotten separated from his family.'

'Her family,' said Connor.

'How do you know that?' asked Clark.

'I just know,' said Connor.

'There was a baby in the pod, that didn't seem to have a mother.'

'We have to reunite them,' Lex added. 'How are we going to manage that?'

'I'm sure the mother will find her calf, Lex.'

'We don't know that. And in the meantime, she's very unhappy and feeling lost.'

'I could pick her up and carry her, but….'

'No! That would be dangerous and scary for her, besides. Whales aren't designed to be lifted out of the water, especially such a huge whale as this. And she wouldn't understand what you were doing. How can we explain?'

'I speak many languages,' said Clark. 'But not whale language.'

'Who does?' Lex observed. 'Biologists have been studying the subject for years. Some are even stubborn enough to deny whales have a language.'

'Whales talk, Daddy,' said Connor. 'I can hear them talk.'

'Of course they talk,' said Lex. 'Some scientists just can't accept something that's right there in front of them, unless they have a sufficient amount of quantifiable data.'

Connor nodded, sagely, then asked, 'What's quan… quanti….'

'Quantifiable data means information you can see and handle and count and account for,' Lex explained.

'I can hear the whales talk,' said Connor, again.

'Trust your own senses,' said Lex. 'Don't let anyone talk you out of what you know.'

The blue whale was becoming a little more frantic in her search.

'Whales have been tracking each other, and finding their own way for many millions of years,' said Clark.

'Yes, but this is a Blue Whale,' said Lex. 'And they're still very rare. They were at the brink of extinction not long ago. Every individual is important. '

'But what can we do to help?' asked Clark. 'If I can't carry her to her family, or give her directions….'

Lex heard a rather loud splash beside his kayak. He looked around, and saw Joy, in the water, swimming toward the enormous Blue Whale….

***************  
**********  
***************

Lex opened his mouth to call Joy back, or to ask Clark to stop her, or to tell Joy to wait for him, that he'd join her in her madness rather than let her go on alone….

It was Connor's voice that stopped him. 'Daddy! Joy is going to help the whale. She's a hero, isn't she?'

'Yes, Baby,' Lex admitted. 'She's a hero. Let's help her. Clark? Keep an eye on her?'

'Of course,' said Clark, and Lex realized that he hadn't jumped into action the moment Joy leapt into the water. Clark had been watching him, waiting for his cue. Waiting for permission, maybe? Clark frequently acted on his own, but if Lex was there, he seemed to accept that Lex was in charge, and he accepted that without argument or any sign of rancour. Lex suspected that Clark knew perfectly well that opposition only made him dig in his heels more firmly. Lex suspected that he was being managed, but he didn't care. Clark could manage him if he wished. That was far better than a war with Superman that tore the world apart.

Far ahead on the ocean, Lex could make out a tiny black dot -- Joy's head. Newfoundland Dogs were powerful swimmers, and Joy was more powerful than most. Clark flew circles in the air above her, watching for signs of trouble. Lex started paddling toward the Blue Whale. 'Keep up, Connor,' he called to his son. 'Show me what you can do. We have to give Joy our support.'

Connor paddled as if his life depended on it.

Joy had reached the side of the Blue Whale. She was tiny next to the huge bulk of the giant mammal. The whale was still in the water, eyeing the tiny dog with a curious expression. If the whale decided to dive, thought Lex, she might pull Joy under in her wake. But then Clark could dive and rescue her.

Joy paddled alongside the whale until she reached her fin, and then clambered up, over the fin and onto her back. What is this, thought Lex. Whale Rider II?

The whale didn't seem upset by Joy's actions. She seemed to grow calm and steady. Clark was hovering above her, now. Lex and Connor paddled as close as they thought safe. Okay, thought Lex. Now what?

Clark started to fly off, slowly, toward the islands where the other whales were hidden. After a moment, the Blue Whale followed. Joy rode on her back, a miniature pilot. The whale didn't dive, and she swam calmly, surely, careful not to dislodge her passenger.

Lex and Connor followed in her wake.

**************

It was a tiny island, but perfect, thought Lex. Connor agreed. He said it was designed for small people like himself and Joy. They were currently splashing around in the half moon bay.

Lex stood on a hill overlooking the bay, watching his family play. Clark flew up into the air suddenly and landed beside him on the hillside. 'You were looking lonely,' he said. 'Why don't you join us?'

'I will,' said Lex. 'I'm not lonely. I'm thinking.'

'About what?'

'About buying this island, of course. You all seem to like it.'

'Lex, you could buy the British Isles. Why do you want this dinky place?'

'The British Isles are too crowded and noisy.'

'Lots of history.'

'Lots of ghosts.'

'Australia?'

'That's not an island, it's a continent. New Zealand, maybe. But this is a good start.'

'Okay. Now what were you really thinking about?'

'I was wondering how Joy was able to talk to the whale.'

'Connor can, too,' said Clark.

'My God.'

'He says she's very old, and that is probably her last calf.'

They watched the mother whale playing happily with her baby, just outside the little bay.

'My life keeps getting more complicated,' said Lex.

'Would you want it to be simple, Lex?'

'No,' said Lex. 'I just like to complain every once in a while. Listen, Clark. We have to fulfill my promise to Jor-El soon.'

'Promise? Jor-El? You mean….'

'Don't play dumb. You know what promise I mean. The one about the offspring.'

'Offspring? Lex, you make us sound like breeding stock. I'm not a stud stallion.'

'Of course you are, and a pretty one too. Don't argue with me. My mind is made up.'

Clark dropped to the ground at Lex's feet, and picked up a stalk of dried grass to chew on.

'Eating grass now?' asked Lex. 'You don't have to take on all the characteristics of a stud stallion.'

'Don't joke about this. Lex, do you really intend to turn back into a woman or something? Can't we just do this in a test tube?'

'Seriously? You seriously want our children born from test tubes? They deserve real parents. I can do this, Clark. I did it before.'

'You didn't have a choice,' Clark pointed out.

'And now I do.'

'You told me it was horrible.'

'I don't remember the pregnancy and childbirth. Jor-El only showed me what happened after, as a punishment of some kind. Are you going to abuse me, like he did?'

Clark jumped to his feet again. 'No! Never, Lex. You know I wouldn't.'

'I know,' said Lex, simply, gently. 'I do know that now. That's why I trust you. That's why I'm ready. I want another child, with you. I'm ready. '

Together they stood on the hill and watched Connor play in the surf.

'He's a baby, now,' said Lex. 'But soon he'll be grown up, and a hero. Children grow so fast. I want another.'

'Whatever you want,' said Clark. He sighed, but then he smiled. 'I'll speak to Jor-El. I'll tell him to behave himself this time, or I'll send him back into outer space, and he won't come back.'

'Do that,' said Lex.

*** The End ***


End file.
